Rainbow Dash stood atop the Apple's barn, tools and lumber scraps littered about the roof. Her sweat stained coat betrayed the gray winter day as being unseasonably warm. With another task finished she paced the roof, looking for her next project. Discovering a hoof-sized hole, she peered through it. She could see Big Mac dutifully working in the dim light of the barn. He had spent most of the morning replacing an old beam that had rotted out. "I see you in there!" Dash shouted.

Looking up from his task. "Let me get you some hot pitch and a patch for that.” Big Mac grunted. Rainbow Dash had been his personal miracle worker for the past few days. Quickly doing chores that would have taken him the better part of a day. Her ability to ignore gravity was an amazing asset. Now she had taken to finding work without being told what to do.

Dash winced a bit. "It’s hot enough on this roof without a bucket of hot tar. But, for free home-cooked meals for a month, I’ll deal. You're lucky Granny Smith is such a great cook"

Turning, he went out of Dash's sight. "At least we’re almost done. Thanks again for helping." His voice echoed from somewhere near, but unseen.

The top of a ladder cracked against the roof near her. She steadied it as Big Mac hefted a patching kit up to her "It is awfully warm for it to be before winter wrap-up. Not going to be much snow to push out." He said, once his mouth was free of the kit.

Rainbow took to fixing the hole as Mac surveyed the current state of the barn. He was glad the offer of food had been enough to get her to help him out for the week. The winter had been rough, and they needed an extra hoof to get everything ready for planting season. Rifling through a list of chores yet to be done, Mac settled on something that her infinite reach would be ideal for. "Got to paint the new wood. This old barn hasn't been painted since I was a foal. We may as well paint the whole thing"

"I'm sweating buckets, can we take a break first?" Rainbow panted.

Looking up at her, the poor thing was exhausted. Most ponies would have given out hours ago. But now that she mentioned it, he was a bit tired too. Cooling off and getting something to drink would be a good idea. Going thirsty for too long is bad for your health. "Sure. The old stone spring house over there is always cooler. The water from the spring is ice cold year round.

"YES!" Dash whooped, opening her wings for flight. Big Mac was worried she was going to try and fly through the old wood door as she made her name true. Fortunately, she managed to stop before hitting it. A few moments later Big Mac wandered into the small stone building.

The spring house was just big enough for two grown ponies to be in at the same time, and not get in each others way. Out of a stone fountain, cold water bubbled and flowed into a large basin. As the water flowed out of the basin it fell to the sandy ground where it traveled through a small arch in the building’s back wall and then resumed its natural path as a small creek.

Dash was drinking so deeply from the basin, she was caught off guard when Big Mac's nose almost touched hers when he joined her at the trough. As she looked up at him, something caught her eye. Deep in the shadow of a low shelf, in the back corner of the stone shack, the outline of a wood barrel jumped out at her. It was held in place by a thick layer of hay packed around it. The head of the barrel had the usual "Sweet Apple Acres - Sweet Cider" burned into in. Except the words Sweet had been struck off by some means.

"Is that a barrel of cider?!" She blurted out. Faster than Mac could reply, Rainbow leaped to the barrel and thumped it lightly with her hoof. "It's full! I thought you sold all the cider in the fall? And every drop was gone by the end of the week!"

"It's aged cider…” Big Mac murmured. “It’s different than sweet cider; made mostly from crab apples. I put away a barrel each year. My pa taught me how to make it the year he… he…" Mac went silent as a sadness fell across his face like a shadow.

"I-I'm sorry! I didn't mean to bring up bad memories." Rainbow stammered. That was the most she had ever heard him speak of his parents. In the time she had known him, she could hardly recall him even mentioning them.

"No, it’s fine.” He took a deep breath and regained most of his composure. “You want some? I've never shared this with anypony. Not even Applejack. Granny Smith knows about it, but says it’s bad for her thin blood."

Taking two cups off their hooks Dash ceremoniously presented them to Big Mac. "It would be an honor to be the first to try your aged cider."

"This is supposed to be cold. That’s why I keep it in here." Reaching back into the corner Mac took hold of the hogshead and drug it forward till the spigot overhung the shelf.

Dash raised and eyebrow to the feat of strength. That one barrel weighed as much as five ponies and he had moved it without thought. He was smiling when he turned to take the cups from her, but his eyes still held a melancholy glaze.

Filling both cups, he handed one off to Dash. "It's great to cool you down and it relaxes your body and mind too. But if ya drink too much you’ll fall asleep. At least… I do." He mumbled into his cup.

They both finished off their cup in a few deep drinks. Dash was visibly impressed with this new cider. "Wow, it’s not as sweet, but it taste amazing."

Big Mac poured a second round. Finding a good spot to sit, he slowly enjoying this second cup, staring out the door as he did so. Early spring was the only time he had ever gotten to really work with his Pa. Nothing to do in the winter, and once planting season hit, he had been too young to keep up. He lost himself as old memories crept over him. His father had taught him two things; how to pull a yolk, and how to make aged cider. What would he have learned if he had just one more summer with him? He was snapped back to the present by the sound of Dash filling her cup. "I'll have a third, too." He muttered as he moved to go filled his cup again.

"Oh, I’m sorry, it’s so good… This is my fourth. But I won't drink any more!" Rainbow said bashfully.

Big Macintosh wasn’t upset at the loss of his cider. There was a lot in that barrel after all. The cider had been his private link to his father. But, for some reason he wanted to share this with her. Seeing her enjoy it so much cheered him up. “Drink up. I’m happy to share it with somepony that appreciates it so much”

Dash nursed her fourth cup. Enjoying it as long as she could. She watched Mac as he again gazed blankly into the fields. Occasionally taking thoughtless sips from his cup, his eyes never breaking from some far off point. ‘What is he thinking about’ she wondered.

With his cup about finished, Mac looked back at the barrel. Dash was standing next to it. His eyes met her worried stare. Giving her a meek smile, he rose to his hooves. Going over to the cider he topped off before pushing the barrel back into it resting place. Moving closer to Dash he poured some cider from his cup into hers; leaving them equally full.

“Do you know about what happened to my folks?” Mac said abruptly.

“No.. no I don’t” She said out of surprise

“I’d like to tell you. But, first I’m going to tell you a story. Do know why there are three types of ponies?” Mac said, setting his cup down.

Dash was confused by this random change in topic. “There were the three kingdoms, then they all settled in Equestria?”

Mac shook his head slowly, and began to recite a story that he knew by heart.

”Long before the three kingdoms. There were no ponies at all in creation. Celestia and Luna had no physical form. Other powerful beings walked in creation instead, some older, most younger than the Sisters.

One day the Sisters decided to fashion the most perfect creature they could. They agreed each would make three of a kind. Then compare what they made.

Luna stirred the sea and splashed it on the shore, and out walked three mares.

Celestia bent the trees of the forest, and out walked three stallions.

They brought them together to compare their work. But, found that neither was greater than the other. In fact they were not whole without the other. On first meeting, their creations fell in love. Immediately making three couples.

Seeing that together they had created something wonderful, they decided to grant a wish to each couple. Then set them to their own destiny in creation.

The first couple said, “We feel the wind and envy it. We want to be free above all other things.”

The Sisters called the element of wind to them, and took a single feather from it. Splitting it in two they place one on each, and they sprouted pegasus wings. The sisters then told them ”Though your children will have the gifts of the wind. Only one in a generation will hold the true element of wind. They will have a speed so great, that they can tear the very air into ribbons of color and sound.”

The second couple said: “We wish to create and change the world as you do”

Celestia kissed one upon the forehead and Luna kissed the other. Light and shadow erupted from the kiss and solidified into twisted horns. They were told by the Sisters “We leave a bit of ourselves with you. Though your children will bare our kiss, only one in a generation will have the day and the night. They will be known for their ability to command all magics.

The third couple told them: “We wish for freedom and creation. The will to see anything through its end. The drive to overcome any obstacle.”

With a grim expression the Sisters said. “You wish for passion. But, we warn you it is a power that even we can not control”

The two nonetheless insisted. So, the sisters took them to a high temple where the spirits of passion lived. The Sisters told them “Within this temple burns a great fire. It will destroy either of you alone. But if you both press into the source of the flame, to snuff it out, you will conquer it and the fire will be within you. Your children will have the gift of passion. But, one in a generation will have the fire of passion sealed within them. Like the others it will pass to a new host upon the death of the former. Unlike the others this will be as much a curse as a blessing. Though it will give them an unsurpassed strength, left unchecked it will burn them to ash.

Mac picked up his cup and took a long drink. Dash stood dumbfounded.

“How do you know this?” She said loudly in amazement. “You mean Twilight and I are... then who’s passion?”

“My father was. Who has it now, I don’t know. Pinky or my sister maybe. It took me years just to learn what I just told you, and that’s all I know” He said looking into his cup. He had no idea why he was telling her all this. He had never spoken a word to anypony about what had happened to his parents. Yet, for some reason he wanted to tell her, he was compelled to tell her. “That how my folks died. A great monster from the Everfree forest came looking for my Pa’. It killed Mother trying to get to him. It attacked Applejack and me too. But, Pa’ killed it... In his rage and sorrow the fire took him. We don’t talk about it, because it’s too hard to explain. If we have to say something we just say a monster from Everfree attacked, and they died protecting us.”

Dash was a bit overwhelmed with this strange confessional. “I’ll keep this to myself then. It’ll be my secret too”

“Thank you” Mac finished off his cup and gave her another meek smile. Taking Dash’s empty cup, he turned to replace them to their hooks. The cider was starting to takes its toll on him. His head was swimming a bit.

Dash wanted to give him a nuzzle, to show Mac she was there for him. He had just shared a deep wound with her, and she wanted to comfort him in some way. But when she took a step forward, her legs buckled and the room spun. Instead of a light touch, she landed against his side, face first… and hard! She tried to say something. But when he looked at her in confusion, his expression sent her rolling onto her back in a fit of giggling. Getting herself under control, she noticed Mac looking at her. His ears point forward and his gaze tightly fixed between her legs, that she still had splayed in the air.

She had caught him looking, before he even realized he was. Glad that his coat hid the beep blush that he nonetheless felt. "Mm sorry" He blurted out, quickly looking the opposite direction. Deciding that an old piece of ironwork was now the most fascinating thing in the world.

Reflexively she covered herself with her tail. Her modesty did not extend much further though. "What? no harm in lookin'. I'm hard not to look at!" She said proudly, her speech just slightly off.

Trying to get back in her hooves, she found all her movements slow and uncoordinated. She needed something to hold on to. Fortunately Mac's hind leg made a great surface to cling to while she clambered back upright. At some point in her usage of his flank he had blurted out a snicker. Testing out the same spot again the sound repeated. This time accompanied with a convulsion of the huge stallion. "You're ticklish!" She declared with malevolent intent.

Big Mac found himself besieged by the little Pegasus. She was deviously good at finding ticklish places and tenacious once she found them. His only recourse was to return the effort. It took a few tries, but he eventually discovered a spot under her wings that had the desired effect. Like two foals they scrambled about tickling each other.

Exhausted breath and aching sides eventually took their toll. Leaving the two half-toppled ponies panting for breath. Dash found herself leaning against Big Mac for balance. He was a strong handsome stallion. Why had she never noticed this before? And his smell! He smelled of something she wanted to bury her muzzle into. She normally went for the stunning Pegasus racers, but they never wanted a relationship -- just a wild night, or maybe a weekend. Big Mac, though… he was a family guy! Suddenly Big Mac struck her as a stallion she wanted. She looked up at his big tender eyes. When he returned her gaze, she kissed him.

Big Mac was shocked. A shiver went down his spine; his nose and ears burned. Rainbow was his sister's friend. He had never really thought of her as a mate. Sure, she was attractive… but he’d never thought of it as a possibility. Right now, though, she writhed with an energy that he found intoxicating. He met her lips, testing if she would kiss him again. She pressed into his kiss with an intensity that made him lose all thought. One of his forelegs reached out on it's own accord and pulled the mare closer. The soft touch of a wing brushed against his back. Their kiss paused a moment. He could still feel her lips brushing against his own. Opening his eyes he found himself encircled by cyan feathers. Her wings raised and cupped around them, framing a pair of piercing magenta irises set in half hooded eyes. His heart literally skipped a beat.

"You all right" Dash asked softly. She got a tiny silent nod in response. A firm hoof caress her back as he gently kissed her again. Nuzzling under his chin, she lowered her wings. Reaching up, her lips found his ear and so did her breath; she felt a quiver run through him. Taking the ear in her teeth she exhaled intently, to see what his response would be. She wasn't disappointed. Like he had been unleashed Big Mac dove into her, and that's exactly what she was wanting.

Furiously rubbing head and neck against each other like they were trying to permanently rub the others essence into their coat, they paused only to take a deep kiss. The two forms clambered around each other in a tight circle, trying to occupy the same space. Dash felt Big Mac's front leg pick up as if to swing over her several times. Each time he put it back down before completing the motion. It was a tease that made her body ache for his weight to be above her. She could tell he was holding back. This was as far as he would escalate things. She was going to have to take the lead.

Feeling his weight shift, she knew he was about to start the motion again. She put her martial arts skills to a different kind of use. Dropping her weight and widening her stance, she threw out a wing. Putting it under him and then lifting it up to bodily force him over her. He had to throw the leg over her, or risk falling. Both wings up and her posture straightened, she had him trapped above her. ‘That would have been a textbook throw, if I had wanted to.’ she thought.

Big Mac wasn't quite sure how they had gotten to this position. His mind was racing and his blood hot. Dash was giving him a mischievous grin, her head coming up from between his forelegs.

The massive barrel rose and fell above her with each titanic breath, not breathing so much as bellowing. His eyes were lit up with a maniac's desire. And all of this was focused on her. She was the absolute center of his existence right now and she knew it. Yet he was still sheathed. His self restraint was awe inspiring.

She pressed firm against his underside, giving him a teasing side to side motion as her spine rubbed against his member. He had been trying to not get an erection, but this was his limit. Dash squirmed, and took another nibble on his neck.

The sudden presence of his phallus made her ache, the pressure inside her was unbearable. The only cure was for Big Mac to mount her. He seemed to finally sense her desire. As she squirmed, he also moved bringing is erect member to hang between her thighs. Her tail lashed frantically at his underbelly. Shacking her head she presented her neck to the big red stallion that was covering her.

A spray of prismatic wonder filled his vision, while silky hair lashed at his face. When her mane fell straight again, he found her long toned neck out stretched before him. Something animal stirred withing him. He took mane and neck in his mouth and bit with a firm grasp. Rainbow's eyes rolled back as she let out something between a moan and a nicker. His hips pulled far back and soon his tip was placed against her mounds. Slowly he entered her, finding her eager moistness searing hot against his tender flesh. His heart was pounding. Each pulse had enough force to ring his body like a bell.

It occurred to her that he was a way bigger than any Pegasus she had ever been with. It hurt a little, but the pleasure was many times greater. As he sunk in she could feel him get even harder. She could feel his heart beat through his barrel pressed against her back, and throbbing within her. Her mind was swimming. He pulled most the way out. She panicked a bit. Was he leaving? She wanted more. But then, he thrust back with powerful intent. On this first full thrust his whole body shook with pleasure. He let out a deep moan while his neck was pressed against hers. The bellow reverberated through her body. She went into sympathetic quivers of pleasure.

Dash was lithe beneath him, reacting to every move he made. She was enjoying this no less than he was. The rhythm of the two bodies slowly increased until it hit a fury. Mac felt the mare beneath him start to stiffen. Her hips rocked in a sure tell that she was close. Short but deep strokes kept him at his edge. He pulled at her mane again with his teeth.

A wave of pleasure racked Dash. It dropped her to her front knees, leaving her flank pressed up into his. Every muscle seemed to twitch of its own accord; her mind went white with ecstasy. Big Mac leaned into dash when she took this new pose. He slipped in even deeper than before. Her body shook and clamp around his phallus. He had been close for a while, but seeing and feeling his lover in the throws of orgasm sent him over the edge. He shuddered and climaxed into dash, filling her completely, the excess ran down both their legs. The two toppled over, still holding each other tightly, seemingly unable to pull the other close enough.

The warm air, cool ground, physical exhaustion, and cider took its toll. A few fond kisses and the two were fast asleep on the floor of the spring house.

Author's Note

As a random note: here is the Spring House that inspired this whole fic. I was staring at it that winter from the back porch, and the story slowly crept into my brain.